Patent Application
20170153603
This application claims priority of European patent application No. EP15196613.2 filed Nov. 26, 2015, which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety.
The invention relates to a horology calendar system. It also relates to a horology movement comprising such a calendar system. It finally relates to a timepiece, notably a wristwatch, comprising such a system or such a movement.
Patent EP2428856B1 discloses a display device for indicating the month, in which the markings on a month disk are designed to collaborate with one of the twelve apertures of the dial. Although visually instantaneous, the mechanism is driven in several steps, thereby minimizing the energy needed for the month jump and distributing it over several days, thus making it possible to ensure the chronometric precision of the watch. Although this permanent display indicating the month is particularly discreet, it does, however, require the timepiece dial to have a very particular appearance.
Patent CH681673B5 proposes a device for the occasional displaying of time information, in which device an electrooptical display member is provided so as to appear, at the demand of the wearer, in a window of the date disk or of the day disk, which is situated between two pieces of calendar information. In a preferred embodiment, the concealed information corresponds to the month number, it being possible for this to appear for example when setting an annual or perpetual calendar. This device has the advantage of being particularly discreet, although on the other hand it does require complex actuating means which need to be programmed in such a way that they can allow the date disk or the day disk to be driven by one angular step or by two according to the angular position of the window. These are, for example, electronic means. Moreover, no kinematic connection between the date or day disks and the display member is proposed, the latter being fixed.
Patent application EP0987609 describes an annual calendar mechanism which is provided with a first kinematic chain driving the date disk and with a second chain for correcting the date disk which is operated under the impetus of a month cam. For this purpose, the date disk has three distinct toothsets. A first toothset, made up of thirty-one teeth, is designed to be driven in the conventional way by a date drive wheel. A second toothset, made up of one tooth, is designed to be driven by a date correction wheel. A third toothset, made up of one tooth, is designed to drive a month cam bearing a member for permanently displaying the month indication when passing from the thirty-first day of the current month to the first day of the next month.
Patent application EP1666991 discloses a trailing annual calendar mechanism which is provided with a month wheel that is intended to be driven at the end of a short month by an additional tooth of the date disk when passing from the thirtieth to the “thirty-first”, and by an additional finger of the date wheel when passing from the “thirty-first” to the first day of the next month. This solution offers the advantage of using a date disk which is particularly simple, provided only with two distinct sets of teeth. However, such sequencing requires a complex mechanism, in which the driving of the month wheel is rendered possible by the fact that the calendar is a trailing calendar. The synchronized driving of each of the elements, notably of the date disk and of the month wheel, in fact causes the device to lock up. It is therefore not possible to succeed in operating an annual calendar with an instantaneous jump of date on the basis of such a mechanism. Moreover, the month wheel bears a member for permanently displaying the month indication. The double jump of the month wheel requires duplication of the month indication and therefore a shrinking of the month indicator, something which may create an unattractive appearance on the dial.
It is an object of the invention to provide a calendar system that makes it possible to overcome the disadvantages mentioned hereinabove and improve the horology calendar devices known from the prior art. In particular, according to a first aspect, the invention proposes a horology calendar system that has a structure that is simple and reliable while at the same time allowing the month to be displayed, at least occasionally. Moreover, according to a second aspect, the invention proposes an annual or perpetual horology calendar system in which a month cam is driven by a date wheel through the interposition of a kinematic connection element.
According to a first aspect of the invention, the horology calendar system comprises:
The horology calendar system may comprise a drive element for driving the month display member arranged to drive the month display member while the month display member and/or the opening is not visible to the user, notably arranged to drive the month display member between the second and the thirtieth day of the month indicated by the calendar system, particularly between the tenth and the twentieth day of the month indicated by the calendar system.
The horology calendar system may comprise a drive element for driving the month display member arranged to drive the month display member by one step while the date display member is driven by one step.
The drive element may comprise a date wheel provided with at least one tooth meshing with several teeth of a month wheel, particularly one tooth meshing with twelve teeth of the month wheel.
The drive element may comprise a kinematic connection element connecting the date display member to the month display member, the connection element being arranged to drive the month display member by at most 1/n of a step while the date display member is driven by one step, where n is a natural integer greater than 1, notably n=2 or n=3 or n=4 or n=5.
The connection element may comprise a Maltese cross provided with projections collaborating with n teeth of a date wheel, the Maltese cross having a toothset meshing with n teeth of a month wheel. Alternatively, the kinematic connection element may comprise a device including one or more intermediate wheels meshing with the month cam and meshing with a date wheel.
The date display member and the month display member may be pivoted about one and the same axis, and/or a date wheel and a month wheel may be pivoted about one and the same axis.
The date display member may be a date wheel and/or the month display member may be a month wheel.
The date display member and/or the month display member may be disks or annular portions of disks.
The horology calendar system may comprise a dial equipped with an aperture for displaying the days of the month, in which aperture the opening is arranged to appear.
The horology calendar system may be of the instantaneous-jump type.
At least one tooth of a date wheel may be arranged to allow the date display member an additional jump at the end of a month comprising fewer than thirty days and/or at the end of a thirty-day month.
A month wheel may comprise a cam for programming an annual or perpetual calendar.
According to the first aspect of the invention, a horology movement comprises a calendar system as defined hereinabove.
According to the first aspect of the invention, a timepiece, particularly a wristwatch, comprises a calendar system as defined hereinabove or a movement as defined hereinabove.
According to a second aspect of the invention, a horology calendar system comprises:
The driving of the motion of the month cam may be performed exclusively by the date wheel, notably via the kinematic connection element, and/or the date wheel may comprise a date display member, particularly a date display disk.
The month cam may include a month display member, particularly a month display disk, or the month cam may be secured to a month display member, particularly a month display disk.
The kinematic connection element may be arranged to allow the driving of the month cam by one step, particularly by one twelfth of a revolution, over the course of one month.
The kinematic connection element may be arranged to allow the driving of the month cam by at most 1/n of a step while the date wheel is driven by one step, where n is a natural integer greater than 1, notably n=2 or n=3 or n=4 or n=5.
The kinematic connection element may be arranged to drive the month cam while the month display member is not visible to the user or does not display information and/or may be arranged to drive the month cam between the second and the thirtieth day of the month indicated by the calendar system, particularly between the tenth and the twentieth day of the month indicated by the calendar system.
The kinematic connection element may comprise a Maltese cross provided with protrusions collaborating with n teeth of the date wheel, the Maltese cross having a toothset meshing with the month cam.
The kinematic connection element may comprise a device including one or more intermediate wheel meshing with the month cam and meshing with the date wheel.
The date wheel and the month cam may be pivoted about one and the same axis.
The horology calendar system may be of the instantaneous-jump type.
The month cam may be of the annular type and/or the month cam may be provided with a cam surface arranged at the interior or exterior periphery.
The month cam may be arranged in such a way as to define:
According to the second aspect of the invention, a horology movement comprises a calendar system as defined hereinabove.
According to the second aspect of the invention, a timepiece, particularly a wristwatch, comprises a calendar system as defined hereinabove or a movement as defined hereinabove.
According to the second aspect of the invention, a method of operation of a horology calendar as defined hereinabove or of a horology movement comprising a horology calendar system as defined hereinabove or of a timepiece comprising a horology calendar system as defined hereinabove comprises the following steps:
Unless they are logically or technically incompatible, any combination of features from the first aspect of the invention can be combined with any combination of features from the second aspect.
For preference, the invention relates to a calendar system of which the device for displaying the month indication is provided with a member for displaying the month indication which has the specific feature of being visible to the wearer only occasionally, for example when displaying a particular day of the month, notably for phases of setting the calendar system.
The calendar system notably has the particular feature of at least partially driving the display member for displaying the month indication between the first and the thirty-first day of a current month.
Such a system offers an advantageous alternative to the devices that permanently display the month indication, which may overload the dial of a timepiece. Such a system also makes it possible to simplify the construction of a movement of the annual date or perpetual date type. In one particular embodiment, the system also makes it possible to minimize the energy required for driving the member that displays the month indication or a month cam and distribute it.
For preference therefore, in the calendar system, the month display member is visible only in a predetermined configuration of the date display member, for example on the first of a given month, and/or the month display member is driven, at least in part, between the first and the thirty-first day of a current month.
Such an occasional display of the month indication in fact has the advantage of allowing the month display wheel to be at least partially out of synchronization with the date display wheel, making it possible to simplify and/or optimize the construction of an annual or perpetual date calendar system in which the month wheel is kinematically connected to the date wheel, particularly in which the month wheel is only kinematically connected to the date wheel. Such a calendar system notably makes it possible to offer a particularly simple structure of date wheel in which the wheel is provided with only two separate sets of teeth.
The attached drawings depict, by way of examples, two embodiments of horology calendar systems according to the invention.
A first aspect of the invention is illustrated by a first embodiment of a timepiece 120 which is described hereinafter with reference to
The timepiece may comprise a horology movement 110, notably a mechanical movement.
The horology movement comprises a first embodiment of a calendar system 100 according to the invention. Advantageously, the calendar system is of the annual date or even perpetual date type.
The horology calendar system 100 comprises:
For preference, the opening 10a is a first aperture facing a date indication or juxtaposed with a date indication, particularly facing the date “1” or juxtaposed with the date “1”. In the first embodiment described, the opening 10a is therefore juxtaposed with the indication of the first day of the month. It is, of course, possible, to position the opening 10a facing a different date.
For preference also, the month display member 30 or month indicator member is arranged in such a way as to display an indication of the month in the opening 10a when the calendar system is indicating the first day of a given month.
In the first embodiment, the month display wheel is actuated over one single solitary angular step of the date disk performed between the first and thirty-first day of a current month.
The first embodiment has the particular feature of being provided with a date wheel 1 which comprises a first external toothset 1a designed to mesh with a toothset 2a of a programming assembly 2. The date wheel 1 has a toothset 1b which is reduced to one tooth 1b intended to mesh both with a toothset 2b of the programming assembly 2 as depicted in
The date display member 10 or date indicating member is arranged above the month indicating member 30. Thus, as long as the opening 10a formed on the member 10 is not arranged facing the second aperture 4 as depicted in
During the phases of immobilization of the wheels 1 and 3, these are indexed in the conventional way using jumpers 5, 6 of which the heads or the beaks 5a, 6a are respectively designed to collaborate with the toothsets 1a and 3a as depicted in
The assembly 2 is arranged in such a way that the calendar system distinguishes long months from short months. To do that, the toothsets 2a, 2b of the assembly 2 are both designed to be actuated, every day, by a drive element 7 of the calendar system which is provided with two drive fingers 7a, 7b each of which is devoted to the driving of the toothsets 2a, 2b. The finger 7b actuates the toothset 2b via a toothset 2c, these two toothsets 2b and 2c rotating as one as a result of a pin 200 as shown in
Interaction between a tooth of the toothset 2a of the assembly 2 and a tooth of the toothset 1a of the wheel 1 occurs at each change of date. By contrast, interaction between one tooth of the toothset 2b of the assembly 2 and the tooth 1b of the wheel 1 occurs only at the end of each short month, more particularly during the transition of the display from the thirtieth to the “thirty-first” day of each short month. By way of example,
During these phases of changing the date at the end of the month, it is noted that the month wheel 3, particularly the month display member 30, remains immobile. It may be noted that, in the operating sequence illustrated in
Actuation of the month wheel 3 is performed during the course of the month when the tooth 1b acts on the toothset 3a, more particularly during the transition from the eleventh to the twelfth day of a current month, as illustrated in
For preference also, the drive element for driving the month display member is arranged so as to drive the month display member by one step while the date display member is driven by one step.
The drive element is advantageously the date wheel. It comprises at least one tooth 1b meshing with several teeth 3a of the month wheel 3, particularly one tooth 1b meshing with twelve teeth 3a of the month wheel 3.
Such an embodiment makes it possible to use a simplified date wheel provided only with two separate levels for setting out the toothsets 1a, 1b. This also results in a design that is more compact, with the calendar module thickness minimized. Alternatively, the toothset 1b could be arranged on the same level as the toothset 1a by using a geometry of the toothset 1b that differs from that of toothset 1a.
A second embodiment of a timepiece 220 is described hereinafter with reference to
The timepiece may comprise a horology movement 210, notably a mechanical movement.
The horology movement comprises a second embodiment of a calendar system 200 according to the invention. Advantageously, the calendar system is of the annual date or even perpetual date type.
The horology calendar system 200 comprises:
Those elements of the first and second embodiments of the calendar system that have the same structure or the same function are referenced by the same numerical symbols.
The first aspect of the invention is also illustrated by the second embodiment described hereinbelow. This second embodiment differs from the first embodiment described above chiefly in that:
In the second embodiment, the month display wheel is thus actuated over several angular steps of the date disk as depicted in
The date wheel 1 has an interior toothset 1a designed to be actuated by a date drive finger 7a. In the embodiment depicted, the date wheel further comprises a toothset 1b arranged at the exterior periphery of the wheel 1 and designed to mesh with a toothset 3a of the month wheel 3 via the kinematic connection element 8. The connection element is pivoted about an axis parallel to the axis P.
The connection element 8 may for example comprise a Maltese cross 8 as depicted in
In conventional operation of the calendar system, the angular position of the wheel 1 is indexed by means of a jumper 5 the beak 5a of which is designed to mesh with the toothset 1a. The angular position of the wheel 3 is itself guaranteed, give or take the tooth lash, by an exterior circular periphery 1c of the wheel 1 which is designed to engage with a polygonal or substantially polygonal profile 8c of the connection element 8. Actuation of the month wheel is performed by meshing of the toothset 1b with a toothset 8a of the connection element 8 and by meshing of the toothset 8b with the toothset 3a. Accordingly, during certain steps of the date wheel, the month wheel is driven by at most 1/n of a step and during other steps of the date wheel, the month wheel is not driven.
In the embodiment depicted, the date wheel has four teeth 1b. A date jump drives the month wheel 3 over one quarter of its angular step, when a tooth 1b interacts with the connection element. However, a jump in date does not cause the month wheel 3 to move when no tooth 1b is interacting with the connection element. In other words, the month wheel is actuated over four angular steps of the date disk. For example, these actuations or drives occur when passing from the second to the third day of the month, from the tenth to the eleventh day of the month, from the seventeenth to the eighteenth day of the month and from the twenty-fifth to the twenty-sixth day of the month, which are displayed in the aperture 4 of the dial 99 (depicted partially in
Thus, in this second embodiment, the energy required for the change in month can be distributed over several instantaneous date jumps, and this can be achieved without an additional jumper. The energy devoted to the change in month indication is therefore very low and has no negative impact on the precision of the watch.
As in the first embodiment, the month indication is preferably not visible through the aperture 4 as long as the opening 10a formed on the member 10 is not positioned in the aperture 4. In the second embodiment, the opening 10a is juxtaposed with the indication of the first date “1” as depicted in
The construction illustrated in
In the various embodiments, the month wheel 3 may be secured to a month cam or programming cam 300 used for programming the annual or perpetual calendar, as illustrated in
Thus, the month display member 30 and the calendar programming cam 300 may be driven simultaneously or together.
By way of example,
In the example illustrated in
In the example illustrated in
In the example of
Thus, the month cam is arranged in such a way as to define:
In other words, the invention also relates to a method of operation of a horology calendar system or of a horology movement or of a timepiece, in which the method comprises the following steps:
According to the second aspect of the invention illustrated by the second embodiment of the calendar system, the horology calendar system 200 preferably comprises:
For preference, the driving of the motion of the month cam is performed exclusively by the date wheel 1. More particularly, the driving of the motion of the month cam is preferably performed exclusively by the date wheel 1 via the kinematic connection element 8.
As seen earlier, the date wheel may comprise the date display or indicating member, particularly the date display disk.
Likewise, the month wheel may comprise the month display or indicating member, particularly the month display disk.
The kinematic connection element is preferably arranged to allow the driving, notably the exclusive driving, of the month cam by one step, particularly by one twelfth of a revolution, over the course of one month. In particular, the kinematic connection element may be arranged to allow the driving of the month cam by at most 1/n of a step while the date wheel is driven by one step, where n is a natural integer greater than 1, notably n=2 or n=3 or n=4 or n=5.
As seen earlier, the kinematic connection element may comprise an intermediate wheel device meshing with the month cam and meshing with the date wheel.
In the various embodiments, the date wheel and the date display or indicating member may form a unitary assembly or be made as one component. Alternatively, the member and the wheel may be attached to one another. Likewise, the month wheel and the month display or indicating member may form a unitary assembly or be formed as a single component. Alternatively, the member and the wheel may be attached to one another.
In the various embodiments, the opening 10a formed on this member 10 may of course consist of a transparent zone of the same member, notably a first transparent zone incorporated within a more extensive translucent or opaque second zone. For a timepiece that has no dial, notably a timepiece of the “skeleton” type, the opening 10a is in itself enough to make the month indication visible.
In the various embodiments, indication of the first day of the month “1” or of any other day of the month intended to be displayed with the indication of the month may, moreover, be borne by the month display member 30.
For preference, a calendar system according to the invention is accompanied by a rapid correction system. Such a calendar system may also be provided with a mechanism that allows the opening 10a to appear only during the mode for setting the calendar system, for example as a function of the axial position of the adjusting stem used to set the horology movement.
In the various embodiments, the horology calendar system is preferably of the instantaneous-jump type.
In the various embodiments, the date display member and/or the month display member are preferably disks or annular portions of disks. Alternatively, one and/or the other of the display members may comprise a hand intended to collaborate with a limb.
In this document, an interesting embodiment of the kinematic connection element has been disclosed in detail. However, obviously, alternative kinematic connection elements can be used, as previously mentioned above. For example, the kinematic connection element may be any reducing gear system meshing both with the date wheel and with the month cam and the gear wheel of which allows to rotate the month cam by a twelfth of a revolution while the date wheel is rotated by one revolution or more generally which allows to drive the month cam by one step during one month.
The invention relates to a horology calendar system. It also relates to a horology movement comprising such a calendar system. It finally relates to a timepiece, notably a wristwatch, comprising such a system or such a movement.
Patent EP2428856B1 discloses a display device for indicating the month, in which the markings on a month disk are designed to collaborate with one of the twelve apertures of the dial. Although visually instantaneous, the mechanism is driven in several steps, thereby minimizing the energy needed for the month jump and distributing it over several days, thus making it possible to ensure the chronometric precision of the watch. Although this permanent display indicating the month is particularly discreet, it does, however, require the timepiece dial to have a very particular appearance.
Patent CH681673B5 proposes a device for the occasional displaying of time information, in which device an electrooptical display member is provided so as to appear, at the demand of the wearer, in a window of the date disk or of the day disk, which is situated between two pieces of calendar information. In a preferred embodiment, the concealed information corresponds to the month number, it being possible for this to appear for example when setting an annual or perpetual calendar. This device has the advantage of being particularly discreet, although on the other hand it does require complex actuating means which need to be programmed in such a way that they can allow the date disk or the day disk to be driven by one angular step or by two according to the angular position of the window. These are, for example, electronic means. Moreover, no kinematic connection between the date or day disks and the display member is proposed, the latter being fixed.
Patent application EP0987609 describes an annual calendar mechanism which is provided with a first kinematic chain driving the date disk and with a second chain for correcting the date disk which is operated under the impetus of a month cam. For this purpose, the date disk has three distinct toothsets. A first toothset, made up of thirty-one teeth, is designed to be driven in the conventional way by a date drive wheel. A second toothset, made up of one tooth, is designed to be driven by a date correction wheel. A third toothset, made up of one tooth, is designed to drive a month cam bearing a member for permanently displaying the month indication when passing from the thirty-first day of the current month to the first day of the next month.
Patent application EP1666991 discloses a trailing annual calendar mechanism which is provided with a month wheel that is intended to be driven at the end of a short month by an additional tooth of the date disk when passing from the thirtieth to the “thirty-first”, and by an additional finger of the date wheel when passing from the “thirty-first” to the first day of the next month. This solution offers the advantage of using a date disk which is particularly simple, provided only with two distinct sets of teeth. However, such sequencing requires a complex mechanism, in which the driving of the month wheel is rendered possible by the fact that the calendar is a trailing calendar. The synchronized driving of each of the elements, notably of the date disk and of the month wheel, in fact causes the device to lock up. It is therefore not possible to succeed in operating an annual calendar with an instantaneous jump of date on the basis of such a mechanism. Moreover, the month wheel bears a member for permanently displaying the month indication. The double jump of the month wheel requires duplication of the month indication and therefore a shrinking of the month indicator, something which may create an unattractive appearance on the dial.
It is an object of the invention to provide a calendar system that makes it possible to overcome the disadvantages mentioned hereinabove and improve the horology calendar devices known from the prior art. In particular, according to a first aspect, the invention proposes a horology calendar system that has a structure that is simple and reliable while at the same time allowing the month to be displayed, at least occasionally. Moreover, according to a second aspect, the invention proposes an annual or perpetual horology calendar system in which a month cam is driven by a date wheel through the interposition of a kinematic connection element.
According to a first aspect of the invention, the horology calendar system comprises:
The horology calendar system may comprise a drive element for driving the month display member arranged to drive the month display member while the month display member and/or the opening is not visible to the user, notably arranged to drive the month display member between the second and the thirtieth day of the month indicated by the calendar system, particularly between the tenth and the twentieth day of the month indicated by the calendar system.
The horology calendar system may comprise a drive element for driving the month display member arranged to drive the month display member by one step while the date display member is driven by one step.
The drive element may comprise a date wheel provided with at least one tooth meshing with several teeth of a month wheel, particularly one tooth meshing with twelve teeth of the month wheel.
The drive element may comprise a kinematic connection element connecting the date display member to the month display member, the connection element being arranged to drive the month display member by at most 1/n of a step while the date display member is driven by one step, where n is a natural integer greater than 1, notably n=2 or n=3 or n=4 or n=5.
The connection element may comprise a Maltese cross provided with projections collaborating with n teeth of a date wheel, the Maltese cross having a toothset meshing with n teeth of a month wheel. Alternatively, the kinematic connection element may comprise a device including one or more intermediate wheels meshing with the month cam and meshing with a date wheel.
The date display member and the month display member may be pivoted about one and the same axis, and/or a date wheel and a month wheel may be pivoted about one and the same axis.
The date display member may be a date wheel and/or the month display member may be a month wheel.
The date display member and/or the month display member may be disks or annular portions of disks.
The horology calendar system may comprise a dial equipped with an aperture for displaying the days of the month, in which aperture the opening is arranged to appear.
The horology calendar system may be of the instantaneous-jump type.
At least one tooth of a date wheel may be arranged to allow the date display member an additional jump at the end of a month comprising fewer than thirty days and/or at the end of a thirty-day month.
A month wheel may comprise a cam for programming an annual or perpetual calendar.
According to the first aspect of the invention, a horology movement comprises a calendar system as defined hereinabove.
According to the first aspect of the invention, a timepiece, particularly a wristwatch, comprises a calendar system as defined hereinabove or a movement as defined hereinabove.
According to a second aspect of the invention, a horology calendar system comprises:
The driving of the motion of the month cam may be performed exclusively by the date wheel, notably via the kinematic connection element, and/or the date wheel may comprise a date display member, particularly a date display disk.
The month cam may include a month display member, particularly a month display disk, or the month cam may be secured to a month display member, particularly a month display disk.
The kinematic connection element may be arranged to allow the driving of the month cam by one step, particularly by one twelfth of a revolution, over the course of one month.
The kinematic connection element may be arranged to allow the driving of the month cam by at most 1/n of a step while the date wheel is driven by one step, where n is a natural integer greater than 1, notably n=2 or n=3 or n=4 or n=5.
The kinematic connection element may be arranged to drive the month cam while the month display member is not visible to the user or does not display information and/or may be arranged to drive the month cam between the second and the thirtieth day of the month indicated by the calendar system, particularly between the tenth and the twentieth day of the month indicated by the calendar system.
The kinematic connection element may comprise a Maltese cross provided with protrusions collaborating with n teeth of the date wheel, the Maltese cross having a toothset meshing with the month cam.
The kinematic connection element may comprise a device including one or more intermediate wheel meshing with the month cam and meshing with the date wheel.
The date wheel and the month cam may be pivoted about one and the same axis.
The horology calendar system may be of the instantaneous-jump type.
The month cam may be of the annular type and/or the month cam may be provided with a cam surface arranged at the interior or exterior periphery.
The month cam may be arranged in such a way as to define:
According to the second aspect of the invention, a horology movement comprises a calendar system as defined hereinabove.
According to the second aspect of the invention, a timepiece, particularly a wristwatch, comprises a calendar system as defined hereinabove or a movement as defined hereinabove.
According to the second aspect of the invention, a method of operation of a horology calendar as defined hereinabove or of a horology movement comprising a horology calendar system as defined hereinabove or of a timepiece comprising a horology calendar system as defined hereinabove comprises the following steps:
Unless they are logically or technically incompatible, any combination of features from the first aspect of the invention can be combined with any combination of features from the second aspect.
For preference, the invention relates to a calendar system of which the device for displaying the month indication is provided with a member for displaying the month indication which has the specific feature of being visible to the wearer only occasionally, for example when displaying a particular day of the month, notably for phases of setting the calendar system.
The calendar system notably has the particular feature of at least partially driving the display member for displaying the month indication between the first and the thirty-first day of a current month.
Such a system offers an advantageous alternative to the devices that permanently display the month indication, which may overload the dial of a timepiece. Such a system also makes it possible to simplify the construction of a movement of the annual date or perpetual date type. In one particular embodiment, the system also makes it possible to minimize the energy required for driving the member that displays the month indication or a month cam and distribute it.
For preference therefore, in the calendar system, the month display member is visible only in a predetermined configuration of the date display member, for example on the first of a given month, and/or the month display member is driven, at least in part, between the first and the thirty-first day of a current month.
Such an occasional display of the month indication in fact has the advantage of allowing the month display wheel to be at least partially out of synchronization with the date display wheel, making it possible to simplify and/or optimize the construction of an annual or perpetual date calendar system in which the month wheel is kinematically connected to the date wheel, particularly in which the month wheel is only kinematically connected to the date wheel. Such a calendar system notably makes it possible to offer a particularly simple structure of date wheel in which the wheel is provided with only two separate sets of teeth.
The attached drawings depict, by way of examples, two embodiments of horology calendar systems according to the invention.
A first aspect of the invention is illustrated by a first embodiment of a timepiece 120 which is described hereinafter with reference to
The timepiece may comprise a horology movement 110, notably a mechanical movement.
The horology movement comprises a first embodiment of a calendar system 100 according to the invention. Advantageously, the calendar system is of the annual date or even perpetual date type.
The horology calendar system 100 comprises:
For preference, the opening 10a is a first aperture facing a date indication or juxtaposed with a date indication, particularly facing the date “1” or juxtaposed with the date “1”. In the first embodiment described, the opening 10a is therefore juxtaposed with the indication of the first day of the month. It is, of course, possible, to position the opening 10a facing a different date.
For preference also, the month display member 30 or month indicator member is arranged in such a way as to display an indication of the month in the opening 10a when the calendar system is indicating the first day of a given month.
In the first embodiment, the month display wheel is actuated over one single solitary angular step of the date disk performed between the first and thirty-first day of a current month.
The first embodiment has the particular feature of being provided with a date wheel 1 which comprises a first external toothset 1a designed to mesh with a toothset 2a of a programming assembly 2. The date wheel 1 has a toothset 1b which is reduced to one tooth 1b intended to mesh both with a toothset 2b of the programming assembly 2 as depicted in
The date display member 10 or date indicating member is arranged above the month indicating member 30. Thus, as long as the opening 10a formed on the member 10 is not arranged facing the second aperture 4 as depicted in
During the phases of immobilization of the wheels 1 and 3, these are indexed in the conventional way using jumpers 5, 6 of which the heads or the beaks 5a, 6a are respectively designed to collaborate with the toothsets 1a and 3a as depicted in
The assembly 2 is arranged in such a way that the calendar system distinguishes long months from short months. To do that, the toothsets 2a, 2b of the assembly 2 are both designed to be actuated, every day, by a drive element 7 of the calendar system which is provided with two drive fingers 7a, 7b each of which is devoted to the driving of the toothsets 2a, 2b. The finger 7b actuates the toothset 2b via a toothset 2c, these two toothsets 2b and 2c rotating as one as a result of a pin 200 as shown in
Interaction between a tooth of the toothset 2a of the assembly 2 and a tooth of the toothset 1a of the wheel 1 occurs at each change of date. By contrast, interaction between one tooth of the toothset 2b of the assembly 2 and the tooth 1b of the wheel 1 occurs only at the end of each short month, more particularly during the transition of the display from the thirtieth to the “thirty-first” day of each short month. By way of example,
During these phases of changing the date at the end of the month, it is noted that the month wheel 3, particularly the month display member 30, remains immobile. It may be noted that, in the operating sequence illustrated in
Actuation of the month wheel 3 is performed during the course of the month when the tooth 1b acts on the toothset 3a, more particularly during the transition from the eleventh to the twelfth day of a current month, as illustrated in
For preference also, the drive element for driving the month display member is arranged so as to drive the month display member by one step while the date display member is driven by one step.
The drive element is advantageously the date wheel. It comprises at least one tooth 1b meshing with several teeth 3a of the month wheel 3, particularly one tooth 1b meshing with twelve teeth 3a of the month wheel 3.
Such an embodiment makes it possible to use a simplified date wheel provided only with two separate levels for setting out the toothsets 1a, 1b. This also results in a design that is more compact, with the calendar module thickness minimized. Alternatively, the toothset 1b could be arranged on the same level as the toothset 1a by using a geometry of the toothset 1b that differs from that of toothset 1a.
A second embodiment of a timepiece 220 is described hereinafter with reference to
The timepiece may comprise a horology movement 210, notably a mechanical movement.
The horology movement comprises a second embodiment of a calendar system 200 according to the invention. Advantageously, the calendar system is of the annual date or even perpetual date type.
The horology calendar system 200 comprises:
Those elements of the first and second embodiments of the calendar system that have the same structure or the same function are referenced by the same numerical symbols.
The first aspect of the invention is also illustrated by the second embodiment described hereinbelow. This second embodiment differs from the first embodiment described above chiefly in that:
In the second embodiment, the month display wheel is thus actuated over several angular steps of the date disk as depicted in
The date wheel 1 has an interior toothset 1a designed to be actuated by a date drive finger 7a. In the embodiment depicted, the date wheel further comprises a toothset 1b arranged at the exterior periphery of the wheel 1 and designed to mesh with a toothset 3a of the month wheel 3 via the kinematic connection element 8. The connection element is pivoted about an axis parallel to the axis P.
The connection element 8 may for example comprise a Maltese cross 8 as depicted in
In conventional operation of the calendar system, the angular position of the wheel 1 is indexed by means of a jumper 5 the beak 5a of which is designed to mesh with the toothset 1a. The angular position of the wheel 3 is itself guaranteed, give or take the tooth lash, by an exterior circular periphery 1c of the wheel 1 which is designed to engage with a polygonal or substantially polygonal profile 8c of the connection element 8. Actuation of the month wheel is performed by meshing of the toothset 1b with a toothset 8a of the connection element 8 and by meshing of the toothset 8b with the toothset 3a. Accordingly, during certain steps of the date wheel, the month wheel is driven by at most 1/n of a step and during other steps of the date wheel, the month wheel is not driven.
In the embodiment depicted, the date wheel has four teeth 1b. A date jump drives the month wheel 3 over one quarter of its angular step, when a tooth 1b interacts with the connection element. However, a jump in date does not cause the month wheel 3 to move when no tooth 1b is interacting with the connection element. In other words, the month wheel is actuated over four angular steps of the date disk. For example, these actuations or drives occur when passing from the second to the third day of the month, from the tenth to the eleventh day of the month, from the seventeenth to the eighteenth day of the month and from the twenty-fifth to the twenty-sixth day of the month, which are displayed in the aperture 4 of the dial 99 (depicted partially in
Thus, in this second embodiment, the energy required for the change in month can be distributed over several instantaneous date jumps, and this can be achieved without an additional jumper. The energy devoted to the change in month indication is therefore very low and has no negative impact on the precision of the watch.
As in the first embodiment, the month indication is preferably not visible through the aperture 4 as long as the opening 10a formed on the member 10 is not positioned in the aperture 4. In the second embodiment, the opening 10a is juxtaposed with the indication of the first date “1” as depicted in
The construction illustrated in
In the various embodiments, the month wheel 3 may be secured to a month cam or programming cam 300 used for programming the annual or perpetual calendar, as illustrated in
Thus, the month display member 30 and the calendar programming cam 300 may be driven simultaneously or together.
By way of example,
In the example illustrated in
In the example illustrated in
In the example of
Thus, the month cam is arranged in such a way as to define:
In other words, the invention also relates to a method of operation of a horology calendar system or of a horology movement or of a timepiece, in which the method comprises the following steps:
According to the second aspect of the invention illustrated by the second embodiment of the calendar system, the horology calendar system 200 preferably comprises:
For preference, the driving of the motion of the month cam is performed exclusively by the date wheel 1. More particularly, the driving of the motion of the month cam is preferably performed exclusively by the date wheel 1 via the kinematic connection element 8.
As seen earlier, the date wheel may comprise the date display or indicating member, particularly the date display disk.
Likewise, the month wheel may comprise the month display or indicating member, particularly the month display disk.
The kinematic connection element is preferably arranged to allow the driving, notably the exclusive driving, of the month cam by one step, particularly by one twelfth of a revolution, over the course of one month. In particular, the kinematic connection element may be arranged to allow the driving of the month cam by at most 1/n of a step while the date wheel is driven by one step, where n is a natural integer greater than 1, notably n=2 or n=3 or n=4 or n=5.
As seen earlier, the kinematic connection element may comprise an intermediate wheel device meshing with the month cam and meshing with the date wheel.
In the various embodiments, the date wheel and the date display or indicating member may form a unitary assembly or be made as one component. Alternatively, the member and the wheel may be attached to one another. Likewise, the month wheel and the month display or indicating member may form a unitary assembly or be formed as a single component. Alternatively, the member and the wheel may be attached to one another.
In the various embodiments, the opening 10a formed on this member 10 may of course consist of a transparent zone of the same member, notably a first transparent zone incorporated within a more extensive translucent or opaque second zone. For a timepiece that has no dial, notably a timepiece of the “skeleton” type, the opening 10a is in itself enough to make the month indication visible.
In the various embodiments, indication of the first day of the month “1” or of any other day of the month intended to be displayed with the indication of the month may, moreover, be borne by the month display member 30.
For preference, a calendar system according to the invention is accompanied by a rapid correction system. Such a calendar system may also be provided with a mechanism that allows the opening 10a to appear only during the mode for setting the calendar system, for example as a function of the axial position of the adjusting stem used to set the horology movement.
In the various embodiments, the horology calendar system is preferably of the instantaneous-jump type.
In the various embodiments, the date display member and/or the month display member are preferably disks or annular portions of disks. Alternatively, one and/or the other of the display members may comprise a hand intended to collaborate with a limb.
In this document, an interesting embodiment of the kinematic connection element has been disclosed in detail. However, obviously, alternative kinematic connection elements can be used, as previously mentioned above. For example, the kinematic connection element may be any reducing gear system meshing both with the date wheel and with the month cam and the gear wheel of which allows to rotate the month cam by a twelfth of a revolution while the date wheel is rotated by one revolution or more generally which allows to drive the month cam by one step during one month.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15196613.2 | Nov 2015 | EP | regional |
